Often times, when thinking of crimes, things like theft, arson, and destruction of property come to mind. There is, however, an entire category of crime that does not involve any violence, called white collar crime. Typically, these crimes involve dishonesty on a large scale often in business. Entrepreneurs and other business professionals are usually the types of people who commit white collar crimes. Because of the broad range of crimes that fall under white collar crime, it is hard to define what it is, but most states have laws that cover all white collar crime so that criminals cannot get around the law. One type of white collar crime that is more commonly heard of is securities fraud. There is a statute that covers all behaviors involving securities fraud, so long as the illegal behavior can be proven. If someone is accused of securities fraud, it must be proven that they acted willfully, not under order of someone else that may have forced them to break the law. The penalties for this could potentially be criminal and also civil. When someone commits securities fraud, there are two categories that the crime can fall under.

1. One form is when someone sells securities to investors for an amount that is substantially higher than the true value, such as shares of a company for a much higher price than what the company is worth. This can be discovered rather easily because prices can be easily compared online, over the phone or in person.
2. The other category is selling legitimate securities for an illegal purpose. This can occur if a broker sells a stock, but does not disclose to the buyer information concerning the relationship between the brokerage company and the broker.

Each of these categories of securities fraud are illegal under the Securities and Exchange Commission. If you find yourself in a situation where you have been accused of a white collar crime such as securities fraud, contact a Chicago criminal attorney to assist in your case. Attorneys from the Law Office of Hal M Garfinkel can help you in your white collar criminal case in Chicago today.

Most often, honeymoons are a chance for a new husband and wife to celebrate after their wedding. Couples go to romantic international cities or tropical islands to spend time with one another. Sometimes, though, that time away from the world includes a crime or two. For one man, it was a crime that would get him in trouble not only with the law, but probably also with his new wife. Mohammed U. Ahmed, from Lincolnwood, was reported missing by his wife on their honeymoon in Orange County, Fla. earlier this month. The sheriff’s department spokeswoman said that she reported it after he did not return to their hotel room, and was then informed that he had been arrested nearby. Ahmed told the arresting officers that he was on his honeymoon, and police reported that he then contacted the undercover detective that he found in an ad online. The police said that he offered her $100 for sexual intercourse after telling her that he was “horny.” According to police, this was the second time that Ahmed had used the same website and offered a woman money for sex. Police also found a marijuana cigarette in a cigarette box of Ahmed’s that he admitted to buying from someone at his hotel. Ahmed was “charged with offering, committing or engaging in lewdness and possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia,” according to the Chicago Sun Times. According to federal and Illinois state laws, possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia are both illegal. Other items that are not created for drug use can also be used in paraphernalia cases such as credit cards, small mirrors, lighters and razor blades. If you have been caught with drugs or drug paraphernalia, contact a criminal attorney to help you out with your criminal case. Located in Chicago, Ill., attorneys at the Law Office of Hal M. Garfinkel will assist you with your drug and drug paraphernalia criminal case today.    

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A 27-year-old man has begun his six-year prison term, which he received after he was found guilty of two burglaries, including a break-in into a private swimming club in Naperville. Philippe A. Ayala, 27, was transferred in February from DuPage County Jail to the Stateville Correctional Center in Crest Hill, where he will serve his sentence, according to the Naperville Sun.

Ayala and his accomplice, Jonathan M. Klimek, 23, were caught during their burglary attempt. Police were dispatched to the club after a burglar alarm went off. Officers noticed that the club’s rear door had been pried open and spotted two hooded and masked subjects inside the building. Police were forming a security perimeter around the club when “both suspects fled the club in different directions,” according to a police spokesman. Both men were captured after a short chase. Some money and stolen property was recovered from them.

Ayala was linked to other burglaries in Naperville. However, he and Klimek were charged only of the break-in to the Naperville Tennis & Swim Club. The other burglaries netted the men about $1,400 and minor amounts of alcohol. Ayala is serving a concurrent prison term for a burglary he committed in 2007.

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According to the Post Tribune, a man and woman from Harvey, Ill., were arrested after breaking into a Portage gas station in order to steal cigarettes, lighters, and 5 Hour Energy supplements.  Their crimes got more serious, however, when they allegedly rammed a squad car with a stolen van and led police in an on- and off-road car chase to Lake Station.

Around 1 a.m. Sunday morning, a clerk at the Marathon gas station in Portage, across from the gas station the couple robbed, called police when he saw a person climb over an ice cooler and through a window into Luke Shell, a gas station on the opposite side of the highway.

As the couple left the gas station in a white contractor-style van and stopped for a light, a squad car driven by a Portage officer pulled up behind them.  The officer was pursuing the van when the driver, Jerry Allen, 49, of Harvey, put the van into reverse and rammed the squad car on to an interstate ramp.

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A man from Fairfield, IL has recently been sentenced to a year in prison after he pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

The indictment charging Michael D. McCullough, 58, was returned by a Federal Grand Jury on May 8. The indictment charged McCullough with possessing two firearms, a Smith & Wesson .357 caliber revolver and a Freedom Arms .22 caliber revolver.

The evidence that was introduced in court to support the guilty plea and sentence revealed that the guns were found after a fire broke out in McCullough’s unoccupied residence in Fairfield on August 28, 2011.

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